The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean

by PaulTheroux (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  1995

  $3.51

• Used

  Paperback
  1996

  $3.51

• Used

  Hardcover
  1995

  $3.51

  An account of the author's voyage from Gibraltar, one of the Pillars of Hercules, to the southern Pillar. Instead of crossing the straits, he chose to travel the long way, up the coast of Spain along the Riviera, and by ferry to Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and beyond, through the near-anarchy of Albania and onto a ship through the Levant with a hundred Turks. On this journey, Theroux remains earthbound, using trains, ferries and cruise ships to discover a coastline as wild in places as anything he discovered in China or Peru. Along the way, he discovers another Mediterranean, that of low-season depression, of urban sprawl, of seldom-visited, unchanged places such as the antique villages in southern Italy.

• New

  Paperback
  1996

  $16.87

  At the gateway to the Mediterranean lie the two Pillars of Hercules: Gibraltar and Ceuta, in Morocco. Paul Theroux decided to travel from one to the other - but taking the long way round. His grand tour of the Mediterranean begins in Gibraltar and takes him through Spain, the French Riviera, Italy, Greece, Istanbul and beyond. He travels by any means necessary - including dilapidated taxi, smoke-filled bus, bicycle and even a cruise-liner. And he encounters bullfights, bazaars and British tourists, discovers pockets of humanity in war-torn Slovenia and Croatia, is astounded by the urban developments on the Costa del Sol and marvels at the ancient wonders of Delphi. Told with Theroux's inimitable wit and style, this lively and eventful tour evokes the essence of Mediterranean life.